Chapter 1

For Friendships' Sake

Harry stared down at a very worn piece of parchment sitting on his desk along with a quill and a bottle of ink long since corked. Harry had realized hours ago that he wasn't going to figure it out tonight, just as he had realized it every other night. Still his mind struggled to magically comprehend the inner workings of Voldemort's mind and find out what he had used as the last Horcrux. Perhaps it was so obvious it was staring him in the face. He took one more despairing glance at the parchment. It read:

Voldemort's Horcruxes

Horcrux: Status: Possible Location:

1. Tom Riddle's Diary- Destroyed

2. Marvolo's ring -Destroyed

3. Slytherin's locket- to be found

4. Hufflepuff's cup to be found

5. Nagini - living creature - near Voldemort

6. Gryff/Raven object - To be determined

7. Voldemort - living creature- wherever he is

Possible Gryffindor/ Ravenclaw object?

'Two Horcruxes have been destroyed, the ring and the diary,' Harry thought. 'One is Voldemort. That leaves the cup, the locket, the snake, and something of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's.'

It had become a sort of mantra that Harry repeated as he questioned himself on what the unknown object could be and the locations of the others. He ran frenzied hands through his wild black hair. What were some famous Gryffindor and Ravenclaw artifacts? He shook his head. He should have paid more attention in History of Magic. He hadn't the slightest idea about this one. If anyone were to know this, it ought to be Hermione, he realized, pulling out a new sheet of parchment.
Harry reopened his bottle of scarlet ink, dipped his quill in it, and began to write.

"Dear Hermione,

I am still working on identifying the last Horcrux. Dumbledore thought it would be an artifact from Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Any ideas?

-Harry."

Harry let the ink dry a moment, rolled the scroll tightly, and tied it to Hedwig's leg. "Take this to Hermione," Harry instructed the white owl wearily and she pecked him on the ear in a matronly worried manner before taking off through the window.

Hermione sat in her large bedroom in her parents' house, books spread out before her on the bed. She knew she wasn't going back to Hogwarts in the fall, but she did the work anyway. It dulled the pain of leaving her beloved school and the terror of the year to come. Perhaps it would even be useful in their search for the missing Horcruxes. She flicked through the pages of her ancient runes text, looking for certain symbol meanings and translations of ancient texts. She knew Harry would still be up, too, trying to identify the unknown Horcrux. He had been at it since the beginning of the summer holiday, but she supposed he must have some idea as he hadn't yet asked for help. Ron, however, was probably fast asleep at the moment. Midnight had come and gone and somehow recent events didn't even seem to faze him. He was completely, almost foolishly carefree.

A sharp tapping at her window woke Hermione from her reverie. She jumped up at the sight of a familiar snowy owl and quickly opened her window. Hedwig flew sedately to Hermione's desk where she held out her leg for Hermione to remove the scroll.

She read through it once, twice, three times, thinking. Now that she began to think about it, she couldn't remember reading about any surviving relics of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw's. It was time to break out "Hogwarts, A History." She wrote back:

"Dear Harry,

Now that you mention it, I don't remember anything about artifacts of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw's. I've decided its time to involve my old friend "Hogwarts, A History."

Love, Hermione."

Harry kicked his desk lightly, dreading that one of these days he would wake the Dursleys. He had been at Number 4 almost a month and couldn't wait to leave. If he hadn't promised Dumbledore he would return until his 17th birthday, Harry would have left already. As it was, he didn't have anywhere to go. He could go to the Burrow, but it would cause all sorts of tension between him and Ginny and he felt he had endangered them enough already. He supposed he could ask Hermione if he could stay at her house. He expected that the Dursleys were planning to kick him out as soon as he turned seventeen, and it would be the best birthday present they ever gave him.

Hedwig flew in through the window. Harry grinned a weaker version of his old lop-sided grin as he read the last sentence of Hermione's reply. Smiling seemed to be getting harder and harder these grim days. Voldemort was still on the loose, more powerful than ever. The Order was falling apart despite the combined efforts of Remus, Tonks, and Moody to provide leadership in Dumbledore's place. The magical populations was in a panic about Dumbledore's defeat and the Ministry was caving under pressure from the populace. The Dark Days of Voldemort were undeniably back and darker than ever before.

Harry didn't know who else to ask about old Hogwarts artifacts. Once upon a time he would have asked Sirius, but he too had left Harry… Remus! He would ask Remus. But the man didn't even know about the Horcruxes and would certainly forbid Harry from leaving Hogwarts to search for them.

Harry shook his head, trying to clear it. 'I need to leave this house,' he thought to himself. 'It always robs me of any sanity I've managed to retain over the years.' He looked down at the silent, moonlit street of Privet Drive, almost comfortingly familiar in the nightmare Harry's life had become in the past two years. And now he was to leave his beloved Hogwarts? He knew it would never be the same without Dumbledore, but the castle was his stronghold, the only place he ever felt safe. He was to leave it to destroy his perilous enemy bit by evil bit. Not only that, but he was also dragging his two best friends whom he loved along with him through the immense danger.

Suddenly Harry could no longer bear the constricting walls, and he snatched up his wand, leaving Number 4. He paced down the street, guilt ripping through his soul. He had no right to put Hermione and Ron through this. They may say they want to help him now, but the had no idea what they were getting themselves into. And what if—what if they were killed like everyone else he loved? Killed off one-by-one? And yet he knew he couldn't do it without them. He had to do it alone, to whatever end. It was his burden, his battle. They mustn't be killed on his account. He flopped heavily onto the curb of Number 7, dissolving into tears. He needed Hermione right now. Somehow she always made everything seem all right.

Hermione plotted Mars onto the star chart, following enigmatic instructions from her astronomy book when it happened. A pang of guilt and sadness ripped through her, accompanied by something that was distinctly Harry. At once she knew that wherever he was, probably on Privet Drive he needed her. She drew down her quill next to the unfinished star chart. Pulling off her pajamas, she threw on jeans and a blue tank top. Then, with a small pop, she disappeared.

All was silent on Privet Drive, except for the sounds of Harry crying. Despair coursed through him in waves. A small pop! sounded at the end of the street, and by instinct Harry was silenced immediately. His heart jumped with fear as he attempted to see the person through blurred vision and darkness. Who apparates to a Muggle street in the hours of very early morning? The figure moved quickly toward Harry, and he eased his wand out of his pocket, his mind sifting through hexes and curses. At last the figure stepped into the halo of light cast by a streetlamp, revealing it to be Hermione. "Hello, Harry," she said quietly.

Harry gave an audible sigh of relief and lowered his wand. "What are you doing here?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, I felt that you needed me and I decided to come over. What's wrong?" she asked, catching him wiping his eyes.

"I just—I don't think you and Ron should come with me. I'm putting you into too much danger. What if—what if you died? Just like everyone else I loved. Just like Sirius," he choked. "I wouldn't be able to bear it. I can't always have the battle being fought for me, lives taken in place of mine."

"Harry, listen to me," Hermione said. "I can only answer for myself, but I know I want to come with you. You're not putting me in danger, I'm putting myself there because I refuse to let you do this on your own. I want to be standing there beside you. I don't want to fight for you, but with you. And if I die? I can't think of a worthier way to die. I am coming with you, Harry. You have no choice in the matter, and therefore no responsibility for what may happen to me," Hermione told him tearfully.

"But I can't let you. Or Ron. I can't. It's too terrible and I could never forgive myself if…" he trailed off. "I have nightmares of you two dying because of me. Don't make it actually happen, Mione. Please."

"Harry, please be reasonable. I could never live with myself if I knew I had sent you out there alone and friendless to bear this burden and you died. At least this way I'll always know that I helped you as much as I could. All these years we've confided in each other, laughed together, cried together, fought side-by-side, and if you think I'm going to forget it because you're wanted dead by an evil lunatic who wants to take over our world, you'll have to think again."

Harry nodded, remembering all their memories together. How could he forget? How could he make her stay behind? "I cant fight you anymore, Mione. I wish I could, but for our friendships' sake I won't. Thank you for being here Mione. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Hermione nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks. Harry pulled her to him and she buried her face in his chest, muffling her sobs.

AN: I'm sorry if the changes in POV are confusing right now. I'm still trying to figure out a way to separate the POVs without having to write, say "Hermione's POV" because I find that detracts from the story and the formatting on this site is not liking the extra spaces I leave. So if you have any ideas review with them. Give me a nice review smiles and I will update soon. It will get better, I promise. I'm just getting things established.